ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — Plays Monk (1996-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The music of Thelonius Monk is a peculiar mixture of simplicity and and complexity; of larguorous ballads and rhythms turned inside out. The music is a challenge.
„You can always give it your personal touch“, explains Esbjörn. On „Plays Monk“you notice this over and over again.
 „Plays Monk“ is the telling title of the CD from 1996 by Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.)
Ten of the most beloved songs by Monk, from nocturnal, lovingly caressing „Round Midnight“ to the gay and sprightly „Rhythm-A-Ning“, get a becomingly shining new colour here. ACT
Tracklist :
1    I Mean You 6:47
Arranged By [Strings] – Dan Berglund
Strings – Elisabeth Arnberg, Ulf Forsberg, Ulrika Edström, Ulrika Jansson
2    Criss Cross    5:48
3    'Round Midnight 6:13
Arranged By [Strings] – Esbjörn Svensson
Music By – B. Hanighen, C. Williams
Strings – Elisabeth Arnberg, Ulf Forsberg, Ulrika Edström, Ulrika Jansson
4    Bemsha Swing 7:22
Music By – D. Best
Percussion – Esbjörn Svensson
5    Rhythm-A-Ning    4:03
6    In Walked Bud    6:40
7    Little Rootie Tootie    4:04
8    Eronel    4:59
9    Evidence    5:05
10    Crepuscule With Nellie    6:40
Credits :
Esbjörn Svensson - Piano
Dan Berglund - Bass
Magnus Öström - Drums

ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — e.s.t. Live (1995-2001) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 More about the album:
They have been lauded as the "New sound in the Old World", and as "high voltage out of Sweden"; the group has been called "possibly the best jazz trio in the world". The Esbjörn Svensson Trio's - known as EST - rise to the heights has been almost frightening. After their first major success in Sweden, their international breakthrough came in 1999 during the ACT World Jazz Night at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the following years EST was a sensation throughout Europe, and they are now on the path to continuing their success story in the USA. It's no wonder that, especially when playing "live", EST lets loose an almost unbelievable energy - and this energy appears to grow from tour to tour - a rising star that shines ever brighter.

Stars sometimes shine much longer than one would think. And here are recordings that demonstrate this is true for EST. The band, which was first formed in 1993, quickly found their very special sound. However, at first, no one outside EST's homeland was aware of them. Six years ago, in 1995, when Esbjörn Svensson still had long hair, and wore a headband, a record titled "Mr. And Mrs. Handkerchief", which consisted of live air shots from various towns in Sweden, was released. A year later, EST recorded the album "Esbjörn Svensson Trio Plays Monk" (recently re-released as ACT.). It reached the undreamed of sales of 10,000 CD's nationwide. Those who have heard how the trio played back then can attest that it was breathtaking music (for a quick listen: track 5).

Much of what characterizes EST's play today was already well-defined in 1995: the unity and riveting strength of the inter-play, the compelling themes - themes that immediately jump out at the listener, and yet are never burdened with cliches. Then there are the musical influences of the likes of Thelonious Monk and Kieth Jarrett, which are fused into a unique style that is again and again infected by the forward-thrust of rock. Magic moments are preserved for posterity in these live takes. In tracks three and seven, Svensson plays on an upright piano that doesn't even come close to the brilliance and clarity of a concert grand - and yet, these recordings are pearls. The trio had by this time mastered the ability to react spontaneously to the inspiration of the moment.

Absolutely no difference from today? On their latest tours EST sounded tighter, less raw, with the impetuosity of wilder times more under control. Comparison with the masterpiece "Dodge the Dodo" from the 1999 Montreux concert (bonus CD) shows that the trio's development has not been by leaps and bounds, but has been a continual process. Esbjörn Svensson himself has stated most clearly how much the music from past periods influences the band; "Obviously we develop all the time, both as individuals and as a group. But development isn't only about blind process. So instead of just going forward, in places we've chosen to refer back to our earlier sound, to what we had on our first two albums." That's already reason enough to pay new attention to "EST LIVE '95". Roland Spiegel, translated by Marty Cook ACT
Tracklist :
1    Say Hello To Mr. D (To Mr. S)    9:12
2    The Rube Thing    5:28
3    Happy Heads And Crazy Feds    5:20
4    The Day After (Leaving)    4:39
5    Like Wash It Or Something    8:57
6    Breadbasket    5:06
7    What Did You Buy Today    3:10
8    Hymn Of The River Brown    5:13
9    Same As Before    6:25
10    Mr. & Mrs. Handkerchief    7:19
– BONUS TRACK –
11    Dodge The Dodo "Live In Montreux"    10:00
Credits :
Esbjörn Svensson - Piano
Dan Berglund - Bass
Magnus Öström - Drums

NILS LANDGREN FUNK UNIT — 5000 Miles (1999) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The album was awarded the German Jazz Award and received an Echo nomination. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Da Fonk 4:48
Trumpet – Roy Hargrove
Vocals – MCP, NL
Vocals [Xtra] – JR, PRJ, RÖ, Siegfried Loch
Written-By – Magnum Coltrane Price
2    5000 Miles 8:12
Trumpet – Tim Hagans
3    Six Beauties On A Rooftop 5:39
Percussion – Åke Sundqvist
Trombone [Solo] – Fred Wesley
4    Sisters Of Arequipa 5:57
Flugelhorn – Roy Hargrove
Grand Piano, Synthesizer [Oberheim Obs] – ES
5    In A Fonky Mood    5:01
6    Stop By 4:31
Lead Vocals – MCP
Organ [Hammond] – RÖ
Vocals – NL
Written-By – Rashan Patterson
7    Roxane 5:31
Mixed By – Jan Ugand
Percussion – Åke Sundqvist
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Till Brönner
Vocals – Viktoria Tolstoy
8    Professor Longhair 5:04
Bass [Accoustic] – Dan Berglund
9    Venus As A Boy 5:00
Flute [Chinese], Percussion [Mallets] – PRJ
Written-By – Björk
10    Nasty 5:22
Trombone – Fred Wesley
Trumpet – Tim Hagans
11    Glen & Steve    5:30
Credits :
Design [Cover] – Petra Horn
The Funk Unit :
Nils Landgren - Trombone & Vocals
Per Ruskträsk Johansson - Saxes & Wooden Flute
Robert Östlund - Guitars & Hammond Organ
Esbjörn Svensson - Fender Rhodes, Grand Piano & Keybords
Magnum Coltrane Price - Fender Bass & Vocals
Janne Robertson – Drums
Guest Unit:
Henrik Janson - Guitar
Johan Norberg - Sitar Guitar
Åke Sundqvist - Percussion
Magnus Öström - Percussion
Dan Berglund - Accoustic Bass
Special guests:
Don Alias - Percussion
Till Brönner - Fluegelhorn
Roy Hargrove - Trumpet and Fluegelhorn
Tim Hagans - Trumpet
Viktoria Tolstoy - Vocals
Fred Wesley (BMF) - T

LARS DANIELSSON — Liberetto (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

New dream duo in European jazz: Together with the Armenian pianist Tigran, Lars Danielsson explores new musical spaces and once again emphasises the freedom of music between chamber jazz, classical music and European folk music. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Yerevan 2:07
Composed By – Tigran Hamasyan
2    Liberetto 4:53
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
3    Day One 2:54
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
4    Orange Market 7:39
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
5    Hymnen 4:46
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
6    Svensk Låt 5:50
Composed By – Tigran Hamasyan
7    Hov Arer Sarer Djan 6:32
– Armenien Folk Song
Arranged By – Tigran Hamasyan
8    Party On The Planet 4:33
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
9    Tystnaden 2:42
Composed By – Danielsson, Tigran
10    Ahdes Theme 3:37
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
11    Driven To Daylight 4:52
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
12    Blå Ängar 4:14
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
Credits :
Cover [Cover Art "Untitles 2010" By], Artwork [Cover Art "Untitles 2010" By] – Martin Noël
Lars Danielsson - Bass, Cello, Wurlitzer piano on #8
Tigran - Piano, Vocals on #7
John Parricelli - Guitar
Arve Henriksen - Trumpet
Magnus Öström - Drums & Percussion

LARS DANIELSSON — Liberetto II (2014) 24-96Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

If music has no soul, it is nothing. For the master of harmony on bass and cello, its power lies in the melody; it is the seed, the energy center from which everything unfolds. There are surely only a few bassists on this planet who compose so sensitively and in the truest sense of the word "beautiful," only a few who arrange with such impeccable taste. The masterfully assembled Liberetto ensemble gives Lars Danielsson the greatest freedom to express himself and create music that is, above all, a source of enjoyment. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Grace 3:05
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
2    Passacaglia 4:25
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
3    Miniature 5:01
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
4    África 5:45
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
5    I Tima 4:26
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
6    II Blå 5:50
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
7    III Violet 3:02
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
8    Swedish Song 6:40
Composed By – Tigran Hamasyan
9    Eilat 4:25
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
10    View From The Apple Tree 2:30
Composed By – Lars Danielsson, Tigran Hamasyan
11    The Truth 3:50
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
12    Beautiful Darkness 3:26
Composed By – Lars Danielsson
Credits :
Artwork [Cover Art "Untitled 2010"] – Martin Noël
Lars Danielsson - Bass, Cello, Piano (on 1), Piano Melody (on 3 & 9)
Tigran Hamasyan - Piano, Fender Rhodes
John Parricelli - Guitar
Magnus Öström - Drums, Percussion, Electronics

Special Guests:
Mathias Eick - Trumpet
Dominic Miller - guitar (on 1)
Cæcilie Norby - Voice (on 12)
Zohar Fresco - Percussion & Vocals (on 9)

LARS DANIELSSON — Liberetto III (2017) FLAC (tracks), lossless

For Lars Danielsson, the master of harmony on bass and cello, the power of music lies in melody. It is the seed, the energy center from which everything unfolds. "Liberetto" embodies this approach for the third time. ACT
Tracklist :
1        Preludium    2:10
2        Agnus Dei    4:58
3        Lviv    4:38
4        Taksim By Night    4:16
5        Dawn Dreamer    6:26
6        Orationi    4:04
7        Sonata In Spain    4:08
8        Da Salo    6:05
9        Gimbri Heart    3:56
10        Mr Miller    3:35
11        Affrettando    5:19
12        Berchidda    4:46
Credits :
Lars Danielsson - Double Bass, Cello, Piano intro on 5 & 8, Wah-Wah
Cello & Guembri on 9
Grégory Privat - Piano
John Parricelli - Guitars
Magnus Öström - Drums & Percussion

Guests:
Arve Henriksen - Trumpet on 1, 2, 6, 9, Voice on 6
Dominic Miller - Acoustic Guitar on 10
Hussam Aliwat - Oud on 4 & 7
Björn Bohlin - English Horn on 2, 3, 8
& Oboe d'Amore on 1
Mathias Eick - Trumpet on 10

ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — 301 (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

A couple of months after pianist Esbjörn Svensson passed away in 2008 after a freak diving accident, what was thought to be the band's final album, Leucocyte, was released. It was considered final because the pianist had been involved in its mixing and sequencing as he had each of their previous 11 albums. The release of 301 comes as a surprise. The material included here was chosen from nine hours of tape recorded during the Leucocyte sessions -- which was, interestingly, originally conceived as a double album. The band fully expected another album would be culled from the remaining material. E.S.T. cut Leucocyte while on tour, having no compositions; what emerged came came out of individual ideas or group jams, making this set feel very much like an extension of the previous recording. The band's surviving members, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström, along with regular sound engineer Åke Linton, all participated in 301's assemblage (named for the 301 Studios in Sydney). While it may have been sequenced or even mixed a bit differently had Svensson lived, everything here comes together as a compelling whole. Svensson was always keen to embrace more electronic sounds alongside his explorations of post-bop, and they are present here in tracks such as the formlessly experimental noise of "Houston, The 5th," the spacious electronic ambience that constantly yet hesitantly adorns the the backdrop (and even Svensson's piano occasionally) on the gorgeous, sinister "Inner City, City Lights," and in Berglund's blasting, fuzzed-out, phase-shifting basslines on the lengthy "Three Falling Free Part II." But the trio's jazz chops are abundant throughout. Opener "Behind the Stars" is a lovely, lilting, solo piano ballad. Another highlight is the stretched, swinging, balancing act of harmonic engagement in the nearly 14 minute "The Left Lane," while there's yet another shimmering blues in closer "The Childhood Dream." Ultimately, 301 proves that E.S.T. ended the way they came in, as a committed jazz group constantly seeking new ways of expanding the piano trio format as well the parameters of the music itself. This is not only a fine addition to their catalog, it is one of the finest entries in it.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-

The Legacy - Part II: More original recordings by the legendary Esbjörn Svensson Trio from their last session at Studio 301 in Sydney, Australia. A triumphant echo of an unforgotten band and homage to the jazz innovator who died in 2008. ACT
Tracklist :
1    Behind The Stars    3:44
2    Inner City, City Lights    11:48
3    The Left Lane    13:37
4    Houston, The 5th    3:34
5    Three Falling Free Part I    5:49
6    Three Falling Free Part II    14:30
7    The Childhood Dream    8:02
Credits :
Composed By – Dan Berglund, Esbjörn Svensson, Magnus Öström
Cover – Björn Kusoffsky
Double Bass, Electronics – Dan Berglund
Drums, Voice [Voices], Electronics – Magnus Öström
Grand Piano, Electronics, Electronics [Transistor Radio] – Esbjörn Svensson
Performer [Performed By], Producer [Produced By] – E.S.T.

MAGNUS ÖSTRÖM — Thread Of Life (2011) FLAC (tracks+.cue) lossless

"They weren't even as cunningly hip as the seventies themselves" - (RONDO) ACT
Tracklist :
1    Prelude    2:48
Composed By – Magnus Öström
2    Piano Break Song    8:53
Composed By – Magnus Öström
3    Longing    8:42
Composed By – Magnus Öström
4    Afilia Mi    7:14
Composed By – Magnus Öström
5    Weight Of Death    10:37
Composed By – Magnus Öström
6    Ballad For E 9:55
Acoustic Guitar, Arranged By [Arrangement] – Pat Metheny
Double Bass – Dan Berglund
Engineer [Assistant] – Bob Mallory
Engineer [Second Assistant] – Tyler Hartman
Recorded By, Mixed By – Åke Linton
7    The Haunted Thoughts And The Endless Fall    4:00
Composed By – Magnus Öström
8    Between    6:23
Composed By – Magnus Öström
9    Hymn (For The Past) Part I    2:55
Composed By – Magnus Öström
10    Hymn (For The Past) Part II    15:42
Composed By – Magnus Öström
Credits :
Producer, Drums, Percussion, Electronics, Keyboards [Additional], Vocals – Magnus Öström
Electric Bass, Synthesizer [Bass Synthesizer], Keyboards, Trumpet – Thobias Gabrielson
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar – Andreas Hourdakis
Grand Piano, Keyboards, Vocoder – Gustaf Karlöf
Tuner [Piano Tuned By] – Carl Wahren

ESBJÖRN SVENSSON TRIO — Live In Hamburg (2007) 2CD | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

In a word: wow. Since their 1993 debut album, the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, or E.S.T., as it is usually called, have taken the jazz world by storm, winning numerous awards, playing sold-out world tours, topping the charts, and generally enjoying a popularity that's exceeded that of almost any other jazz group in years. The trio was also the first European jazz group to grace the cover of Down Beat magazine, which led to long discussions about the heritage of jazz and the validity of European jazz; and, naturally, it caused some listeners to perceive an artificial hype and discredit the band for simply not being as brilliant as everyone says they are. Well, do yourself a favor and do not listen to the detractors -- listen to E.S.T.'s music instead, and this two-hour concert recorded on November 22, 2006 in Hamburg, Germany, is an excellent place to start, since it shows the superb musicianship of pianist Esbjörn Svensson, bassist Dan Berglund, and drummer Magnus Öström minus any studio trickery; it shows their exquisite communication with each other, their daring improvisations, their effortless flow -- and most of all, it shows their unique brand of music, where a jazz trio can easily incorporate heavy metal distortion during a song ("Definition of a Dog"), then play a sparse, lovely ballad ("The Goldhearter Miner"), and where funk, classical, and avant-garde music elements are incorporated into a sound that never feels academic or difficult to listen to. The band plays everything with the energy of a rock group (Jim Rakete's liner photography even makes them look like one), and the music is often edgy, but the hypnotic repetitions and the building intensity of many tracks often have an almost trance-like quality. The question whether E.S.T. play jazz or pop or rock is completely beside the point: yes, this is jazz, as jazz has always evolved and incorporated new ideas (and almost all of the important developments in jazz have been derided by critics as not being "true jazz" in their time). Yes, this is pop, as it's accessible and, well, popular. And yes, this is rock, with its energy and recklessness. But essentially, it's just unique and exciting music. Christian Genzel
Tracklist 1 :
1    Tuesday Wonderland    13:12
2    The Rube Thing    14:23
3    Where We Used To Live    8:33
4    Eighthundred Streets By Feet    9:35
5    Definition Of A Dog    18:36
Tracklist 2 :
1    The Goldhearted Miner    7:03
2    Dolores In A Shoestand    17:39
3    Sipping On The Solid Ground    7:58
4    Goldwrap    6:14
5    Behind The Yashmak    15:32
Credits:
Piano – Esbjörn Svensson
Bass – Dan Berglund
Drums – Magnus Öström